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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · fine · staff · bat · dip · mark · spell · kick

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. fine — high quality
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. spell — a short time
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. bat — the animal
  12. staff — a stick
  13. kick — in football
  14. spell — magic
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mark — a grade
  18. land — ground
  19. spell — letters
  20. fine — all right
  21. dip — to sink
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com